Amid allegations of irregularities and scams in the health department, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has stepped into its day-to-day functioning, in an apparent damage-control measure.

The Delhi government maintains that the step was taken to ensure preparedness before the monsoon season to check the outbreak of diseases like last year.

The AAP has come under huge criticism on the health front despite allocating the largest share to the department.

Mosquitoes that carry dengue begin to breed after monsoon reason

Sources say the government is ill-prepared to tackle vector-borne diseases as it lacks medicines, doctors and medical equipment.

This at a time when monsoon is barely days away. They further say that no preventive measure has been taken to control an outbreak-like situation if it arises.

'The health department cannot work at its optimum till the Delhi government is unstable,' an official said.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has stepped into its day-to-day functioning, in an apparent damage-control measure

Sources say the heavy loss in MCD elections and the subsequent slew of controversies surrounding the health department has spurred Kejriwal into action.

From surprise visits to various hospitals and ordering medical superintendents to ensure full medicine stock at their hospitals, the chief minister has suddenly upped the ante on the health front.

Sources say Kejriwal is likely to make more such surprises checks at hospitals around the city.

Earlier in the day, sacked AAP minister Kapil Mishra alleged gross irregularities in the health department. He accused health minister Satyendar Jain of misusing health funds and 'revealed' one of the biggest scams involving Rs 300 crore in procurement of medicines by the department.

Mishra claimed that Jain did not allow hospitals to buy medicines and instead handed over the work to the Central Procurement Agency (CPA).

He said former health secretary Tarun Seem was involved in the irregularities and through a series of tweets, pointed out corruption in purchase of 100 ambulances, of which four caught fire before their launch.

He also accused Jain of illegal appointments of his OSD and 30 medical superintendents.

Most senior doctors pointed out that since the Delhi government tried to make medicine and equipment easily available to all hospitals, it took away power from medical superintendents on that front.

Doctors said that till the CPA is operationalised with full capacity, powers from medical superintendents should not be taken.

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'Today, medical superintendents are toothless. So far, not a single medicine has been procured by the CPA, which was only meant for getting medicines and equipments.

The CPA has totally collapsed,' a senior doctor told Mail Today. The Delhi government recently operationalised 125 new ventilators at most of its hospitals, but lack of trained professionals to operate these have put authorities in a fix at a time when there is a huge demand from patients.

A senior doctor at Lok Nayak Hospital told Mail Today, 'Earlier, we were lacking ventilators at our hospital, but now when we have them, we are short of trained professionals to use it.'

Some 35 ventilators have been added to the total number of 45 in LNJP Hospital and they are lying used. The situation is similar in Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital.